Mom’s always filling your plate so in honour of Mother’s Day today why not return the favour and help fill the plates of those less fortunate.

Take part in the #EveryPlateFull and help fill an astounding 26,548,725 plates that will be needed by Canadians who are hungry this summer. Research shows that nearly one million Canadians – 918,724 to be exact – still depend on food banks for essential food over the summer and food banks cannot keep up.

(And with the latest crisis in Fort McMurray, the need will be even higher.)

Nearly 40% of that number are children: “We always hear how mothers will skip a meal or give more food to their children so they don’t go hungry. Mothers will always go out of their way to ensure their children are fed – we often have mothers, especially with babies – come in and ask if we have baby food or formula,” says Ryan Noble, director at North York Harvest Food Bank.

The #EveryPlateFull initiative is out to make sure no one goes hungry this summer. “The summer months can be a challenging time for food banks – the warm weather and the excitement of summer holidays loom, thinking about donating to local food banks may not be top of mind for many people,” says Pam Jolliffe, executive director, Food Banks Canada.

And while food banks struggle as their shelves slowly get bare, “summer is also more difficult for families as school feeding programs are often not available once school is out,” says Jolliffe.

The #EveryPlateFull campaign runs through May and aims to keep the food bank shelves stocked with healthy food, not snacks and treats. More than 120 organizations coast-to-coast are joining Food Banks Canada to feed those in need – every dollar donated provides three meals.

Ami Catriona received many platefuls and is now serving up help: “My partner and I were clients of the Vancouver Food Bank before moving to the Okanagan. We are your average couple, both post secondary educated, had great jobs… and in 2008 when the economy tanked, he lost his IT contract. I had jobs that I loved, but went from full time to part time.”

Soon their savings were gone, and family support was tapped – “we were desperate” – and turned to the Vancouver Food Bank. “I completely get how clients feel when they need to make that step and see help. It’s not a good place to be in – I truly know firsthand what it’s like to be in their shoes,” says Catriona, who is now the community relations director for the Okanagan Food Bank.

“People need to understand that needing support – for most people – is temporary and situational. And things do turn around, and they do get better,” says Catriona. “We are so grateful for the help when we needed it.”

The Central Okanagan the Food Bank has seen an increase of about 20% over the past five years, with families and seniors making up the largest percentage, she adds. “It’s a constant challenge to have supplies of healthy food – we’re grateful that during the key holiday periods people naturally gravitate to donating but the reality is we need a steady level of donations all year round to help us put food on the table of struggling families.”

According to Marjorie Bencz, of Edmonton’s Food Bank, they are helping 30% more people over last year. Just give – “a dollar, five dollars, a can of food or even their time. No gift is too small and we encourage people to give what they can.”

Meanwhile, at the North Harvest Food Bank agencies across north Toronto, more than 13,000 people come in every month for food support. Demand has increased by 48% in the past eight years.

“People are coming to the food bank because they do not have enough money to live on. After rent most have less than $5 a day on all other expenses including food,” says Noble.

Anyone can find themselves in need of food support: “It takes one unexpected crisis to take someone from being able to support themselves to needing a food bank – job lose, disability, sickness. Especially for people who have no family support, who are new to the country, or people who are also supporting others in their lives.

“They’re just like you or I – they have simply found themselves in difficult circumstances and need support… One of our clients was a nurse all her life. She made it through two world wars and never thought she would live this long. Now she finds herself long since retired and on a small fixed income. She has no family and needs the food bank to help her get enough food,” adds Noble.

To help fill plates, consider donating funds so food banks can purchase healthy perishable and non-perishable food items and deliver it to the people who need it most. Go to everyplatefull.ca – you can donate to the national work of Food Banks Canada or to a specific local food bank or province.

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